Silver" Chapter One: A New Beginning
by Legend
Summary: A new adventure is begun by a 14 year old boy from Orange City. Today is the day he and 3 others get to choose from 4 Pokemon. Please R/R! (PG-13 for language.)
1. Default Chapter

"Silver"  
  
Chapter One - A New Beginning  
  
At 8:00, loud music sounded throughout Silver's bedroom from his alarm clock. He jumped out of his sleep abruptly, his heart racing from fright. His hair slowly settled back on his neck as he recognized the sound coming from his alarm clock on the nightstand by his bed. He trudged over to the small box and turned it off, pushing a button on the side. Slowly moving toward his window, he reached up and grabbed the string hanging from the blinds and pulled it quickly. The blinds raised revealing the outside of his two story home. He yawned loudly, the view of the beautiful sun being distorted by the tear building up in his eyes as he yawned. He wiped the tears out of his eyes with his right hand, and scratched his head with the other.  
  
"What was supposed to happen today that I set the alarm clock that early?" he thought to himself.  
  
After less than thirty seconds, his eyes widened profusely, and he back flipped over his twin bed to his dresser. He reached into the already open second drawer and grabbed a wife beater. Silver struggled to put the shirt over his head correctly while stumbling over to his closet. After managing the undershirt, he ripped a pair of black slacks off of a hanger with one hand, and a gray polo shirt with the other. No less than 5 minutes later, he had put his clothes on, brushed his teeth, and was in the process of combing his hair with large amounts of hair gel and walking down the stairs at the same time. He jumped over the railing of the last stairwell, almost landing on a package that sat by the door. Landing barely off target of the box, he turned quickly with his eyes wide.   
  
"Where the hell did that come from!? Mom, what is this box?" he called to his mother.  
  
His mother scuttled into the room, a cheery look attributed her face. She clapped her hands together excitedly as she rushed to tell him the news.  
  
"This box contains your pokègear that you were having fixed at Professor Elm's lab; who by the way is waiting for you right now," she reminded him, just as she always has to do.  
  
"But why such a big box for just my pokègear? Is there anything else?" he queried.  
  
"Oh yes! I made sure to order about 10 pokèballs for you before you left, along with a new vest-jacket that is perfect for your journey."  
  
Silver looked skeptical. He always hated his mother shopping for him. She was just awful at it and it probably would not be any different this time. His mom could not tell the difference between a polo shirt and an undershirt. She color-coded clothes; If it was a good color, it was a good article of clothing.   
Silver ripped into the box using his small pocketknife that he kept in his shoe at all times. His eyes lit up for the first time ever at a piece of clothing that his mother alone purchased for him. He quickly put on his new white vest, checking out all of the pockets that filled the outside and inside. No matter where he looked, there was some sort of hidden pocket. He looked inside the jacket where he saw a small rectangle of harder material that read "Official Pokèleague Badges." His eyes began to water and he started to get choked up. He reached up to give his mother a hug happily.  
  
As you may have guessed, Silver is ready to begin training to become a Johto League Pokèmon master. He has everything he needs save a Pokèmon, which will be supplied for him shortly. This day has kept him on his toes for a year now. His mother made him get straight A's and B's to begin his journey, which normally would not be a big deal; he was in a gifted program, however. The work that he was required to do was much harder than the other children his age. Now, his hard work would pay off as he prepares himself to begin his journey. He has studied Pokèmon on his own time for three years now. Since he turned 15, he believes himself to be ready to begin.   
  
Silver grabbed a couple of pop tarts and called for his pet Growlithe. In came the faithful companion that Silver has had for 2 years, bounding quickly across the room. He tossed the 2 pop tarts in the air and shouted for the flame type dog to use a low powered ember attack on the tarts. The dog barked a short reply, and fired a small ball of fire at the pop tarts. The flame went out quickly, but the pop tarts were perfectly done.  
  
"Silver, what did I tell you about using ember in the house?" his mother prodded.  
  
"No time now mom gotta go!" He shouted back.  
  
His mom sputtered out a goodbye as he kissed her quickly on the cheek. Then just as fast as he had come down the stairs, he bounded out the door. He jumped onto his bike quickly, straightened his backpack on his back, and took off for Professor Elm's Lab in New Bark Town. The Pokèballs on his belt clanked softly together as he pedaled. With his left hand, he grabbed the cotton white visor from his belt at his side, and put it upside down and to the side on his head. Grinning slightly to himself, he sped up, feeling free for the first time in a long time. Really free.  
  
New Bark Town  
  
Silver hopped off of his bike hurriedly, looking down at his silver watch. The time was 8:34. He was late. Pushing a button on the back of his bike, it folded up into its normal, portable size. He slid the small box into a pocket in his pack, and closed it. A sigh escaped his mouth, as he stared in awe at the magnificent lab of Professor Elm. He entered the lab quickly, yet not too fast as too look foolish, and closed the door behind him. A lanky man with glasses in a lab coat instantly greeted him.  
  
"Hello there! You must be Silver! You are quite late young man!" The man told him.  
  
"I know I-" he started, before he was cut off.  
  
"Now it's not a big deal, but if you don't hurry, the other three young men will get first dibs on the new Pokèmon you are to receive," he explained.  
  
Silver nodded, and looked around the lab bewilderedly.  
  
"Follow the bookcases to the left until you see a small desk with a computer and a strange machine next to it. Then hang a left into that door. That's Professor Elm's office!" The scientist directed Silver.  
  
Silver nodded and thanked the lab assistant whose name he found was Richard. Without hesitation, he darted into the room he was directed to, and was greeted by four faces turning to him along with the face of Professor Elm.  
  
"Ah, Silver! You made it! Glad you could be with us today," he said. "Everyone, this is Silver, he is the other trainer I told you would be here today!"  
  
Two of them, a boy and a girl stuck out their hands saying hi. Silver extended his hand as well, and shook theirs.   
  
"I'm Jon, but everyone just calls me J, nice to meet you," the boy greeted.  
  
"I'm Melissa, and everyone calls me... Melissa. Whoa, nice vest! And Hat too!" she told him.  
  
Silver blushed slightly, and then noticed the other kid in the room that had not turned to greet him.  
  
"You aren't even responsible enough to get here on time, how can you expect to achieve the honor of becoming a Pokèmon master if you can't even manage your time correctly? Tsk tsk, such a shame... A damned loser getting such an honor is unfortunate," the last trainer remarked.  
  
Silver raised a brow. He looked the rude one up and down for a minute. He was a bit taller than he with a medium build. He wore a white undershirt with an orange long-sleeved shirt over it. A backwards, black cap accented his blonde hair. A gold chain hung from his neck, and dark blue baggy jeans with small pockets were his choice of pants. After checking him over, Silver replied calmly.  
  
"Listen ass, you don't want to start shit with me. The last person that tried to intimidate ended up missing a few teeth. Why don't you keep from criticism until we finish here? Then you can prove yourself in a Pokèmon battle. I wouldn't want to improve your face by removing a few of your teeth."  
  
The trainer let out a 'humph', crossed his arms, and turned back towards Professor Elm, who by this time had acquired a large sweat drop on his forehead.  
  
"Now then, Silver, this here is Blake. His older brother got to the Johto League finals last year. He lost in the championship match to a trainer named Ash Ketchum, whom I know you probably have heard of."  
  
Silver nodded. He indeed had heard of Ash Ketchum. Who hadn't? This guy was supposed to be amazing. He had the worlds strongest known Pikachu by far. He was supposed to have made it to the elite four using only 4 evolved Pokèmon. Silver had to admit he did admire him.  
  
"Ahem, now," Professor Elm started as he pulled a remote control out of his lab coat's front pocket. He pushed a button on it and a small window in a cabinet opened up. Inside laid 4 Pokèballs. "These are the Pokèmon that you all will choose from today. They are: Chikorita, Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Dratini. " The trainer's eyes widened at the mentioning of Dratini, the dragon Pokèmon that evolved into Dragonite. "We will decide who chooses first by drawing straws. The longest straw chooses first," Elm explained.  
  
Professor Elm held out 4 straws from which the four trainers each grabbed one. They all held out their straws, and Blake chuckled.  
  
"Seems I have the longest straw. And I choose Dratini," Blake announced triumphantly.  
  
The other trainers sighed. They turned to Professor Elm who was grabbing the Pokèball from its holding place in the cabinet. He tossed the ball that was engraved with a dragon symbol to Blake. Blake caught it easily, and attached it to the blank spot on his Pokèmon belt.  
  
The remaining trainers handed their straws to Professor Elm who then held them out again. They all drew the straws, and Silver found himself next.  
  
"Alright!" He exclaimed. "I choose Cyndaquil!"  
  
Professor Elm reached back to the cabinet again, and grabbed the ball with the fire symbol engraved on it. He tossed the ball softly to Silver who caught it in one hand. He put the ball on his Pokèmon belt as well.  
  
J and Melissa decided the next ball with rock, paper, scissors, and Melissa ended up winning. She chose the Totodile, and J got Chikorita.  
  
"Great!" Elm shouted, "Now you are all ready to begin your journey. Well... Almost," he retracted.  
  
"What else could we need?" Silver asked.  
  
"Ah, I have something for you from the great Professor Oak."  
  
The children gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief as Professor Elm pulled out a Pokèdex for each of them. Each with the trainers names engraved especially in silver on the front. They each slapped their Pokèdex on their wrist, and cheered.   
  
After a few words of wisdom, they each walked out of the Lab to begin. Silver was stopped outside the lab to pull out his bike when a hand gripped his shoulder.   
  
"You said we would have a match after receiving our Pokèmon," Blake said quietly from behind, "You aren't going back on your word are you?"  
  
Silver grabbed Blake's hand from his shoulder and threw it aside. He took a step forwards and turned around. He lifted his had slightly, and lowered it again. Gripping Cyndaquil's Pokèball, he smirked.  
  
"Sure, I accept your challenge."  
  
Blake chuckled once again. "You've got a lot of guts Silver, but I'll see that you will get your ass waxed right here and now." Then with blinding speed, he threw out his Pokèball, releasing Dratini into the world.  
  
"Cyndaquil, let's go!" Silver shouted, releasing the ball from his hand. From a red beam of light, Cyndaquil appeared, ready to battle.  
  
*Cynda- Cynda!* it yelled.  
  
"Okay Cyndaquil, use your smokescreen attack to blind it!"  
  
Cyndaquil quickly released a wave of thin smoke at Dratini, forcing its eyes to almost close.  
  
Blake was quick to retaliate. "Dratini, use your wrap attack to keep it at bay!"  
  
Dratini fired a beam of light from its mouth that wavered around like a rope. It swung around Cyndaquil at its feet.  
  
"Cyndaquil, jump up! Now! Then use your leer attack at him through the smokescreen!" Silver commanded.  
  
Cyndaquil darted upwards with impressive speed, and looked down at the Dratini, which was just ending its try for a wrap attack. It glared down at Dratini's eyes, piercing his mind with fear. Once satisfied at the effect of the attack, he quickly ordered Cyndaquil to use a quick attack on the Dratini. Blake commanded Dratini to move, only to be denied because of the fear that Cyndaquil had put in Dratini. Cyndaquil's speed was unbelievable for a fire type, and the quick attack knocked Dratini clear across the battleground and sent it skidding through the dirt. Cyndaquil came to a halt, then watching for his foe to get back up. When the time did not come, Silver announced the win from behind.  
  
"Game. Good match, Blake," he called out.  
  
Blake returned his Pokèmon and only turned away; he jumped on his bike and darted off.  
  
"Wow!" Shouted Melissa, "That was truly amazing. You are a natural!"   
  
"She's right," J added, "Are you sure you have never trained a Pokèmon before?"  
  
"Well, I have a pet Growlithe at home, so I have some experience when it comes to fire Pokèmon," he explained.  
  
Melissa nodded with J, and Silver flashed a peace sign.  
  
"Say, do you two want to travel with me? I'd love the company," Silver offered.  
  
Hesitantly, they both decided it would probably be helpful, and they joined him in their journey. It turned out to be a good day already.  
  
  



	2. "Silver" Chapter 2: On the Road

Chapter Two: On the Road  
  
It has only been a few hours since Silver left New Bark Town with two new friends, and a Pokèmon. After riding their bikes for a short 15 minutes, the trainers decided it would be beneficial for their journey if they walked in order to attain and learn about Pokèmon more easily. So, they now advance through the route to Cherrygrove City.  
  
Silver moved his right hand up to the tip of his hat slowly, moving it around to settle easier on his head. Melissa watched him. She had been watching him closely ever since they had left. His smooth blonde hair blew calmly in the slight breeze that gave an overall tropical feeling to the rather mild day of weather that surrounded them. She noticed everything about his appearance attracted her. From his silver eyes, which ironically matched his original name, to his style of clothing he chose which she envied shamefully.  
  
Breaking her view of Silver for the first time in quite some time, one of her blonde locks of hair fell slightly over her eye. She parted her hair to regain her clear perspective of the boy when something else gained her attention. She looked off to the left of Silver suddenly, catching view of a strange contortion in the tree there. She grabbed hold of Silver's arm gently, pulling him to a stop.  
  
"Shh, I see something up there," she explained.  
  
Silver looked to where she was looking, studying the tree that she was staring at. He raised a brow slightly, obviously too dense to realize why she was looking at a tree to begin with.  
  
"Just stay here, I'm going to check it out," she told him, approaching the tree calmly.  
  
Silver crossed his arms, blowing a bit of air from his lips upwards, blowing a part of his hair upwards before it fell back down again.  
  
J finally caught up just then, stopping before Silver with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked.  
  
Silver did not answer, but only pointed over to Melissa who was preparing to climb the tree. Just as she placed her hand on a branch, her eyes widened abruptly before she let out a loud yelp. Silver ran over to her, taking hold of her wounded hand gently. He saw the spur that had penetrated the skin of her hand a couple of centimeters deep. He grabbed her other hand quickly, giving her something to squeeze as he pulled the spur out quickly. Melissa only released a short growl before letting out the long breath of air she had been holding in.  
  
"You alright?" J asked, standing behind Silver.  
  
"Yeah, I guess," she answered, eyes still fixated on the tree.  
  
"What's so special about that tree that you have to climb it?" Silver queried, only to be ignored again as Melissa reached for the Pokèball on her waist.   
  
She tossed the ball forwards suddenly, shouting her summoning of Totodile to them all. The small plant Pokèmon appeared from the red beam of light as expected, giving off a "Dile!" to announce its readiness for battle.  
  
"Totodile, head butt that tree!" She commanded.  
  
"Huh?" Silver yelled confused.  
  
The small water Pokèmon complied, launching it self at full speed at the tree it was directed at. As soon as it's head struck the tree, out fell a large black bird. The bird looked as if it wore a black hat upon its head as if a crow that stole the hat from a witch. Its eyes opened abruptly to be greeted by 3 people and a Pokèmon before it.  
  
"Muuuurrrrr..." it moaned, squinting from the pain of the fall.  
  
Silver and J had by this time opened their mouths wide in shock. Just by her Pokèmon slamming into a tree, she had found the first Pokèmon in their journey. A Murkow.  
  
Melissa tensed. The first Pokèmon she had a chance to catch was a dark-type. It would be extremely useful during her journey indeed. She needed to take her time when battling it as to not scare it away. With a deep breath, she prepared for battle.  
  
Silver crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in wonder as he watched for the girl's technique or pattern in her training. J too accompanied Silver in his surveillance, also seemingly ready to take notes on the battle.   
  
Melissa finally gave an order.  
  
"Totodile, get into a defensive stance and use your mean look technique!"  
  
Totodile nodded suddenly, as it's face grew more frightening. It growled loudly as it's eyes pierced through the bird, forcing it to stay in battle from intimidation.   
  
The small black bird quickly dove at Totodile, it's beak reared back for a peck attack. Totodile quickly jumped right, moving out of the way in time.  
  
"Alright, now turn and use your scratch attack!" She commanded  
  
The Totodile turned to the Murkrow that was still moving forwards from the momentum of its first attack. The crocodile Pokèmon charged it from behind, claws extended, and scratched the bird on it's back.  
  
"Muuur!" It yelled loudly.  
  
The dark crow quickly faded from view, confusing its opponent considerably. Totodile's eyes quickly darted around, searching for where it's opponent had gone. Without warning, the small bird appeared right in front of Totodile, slamming it's head into his chest hard, sending him flying.  
  
"What the hell?" Melissa exclaimed, frustrated.  
  
Silver stepped forwards, his eyes fixated on the confused girl.  
  
"It's Murkrow's Feint Attack. It faded from view using the shadows of the forest, and appeared to attack. It's a technique used by most dark-type Pokèmon," he explained.  
  
Melissa raised a brow, obviously intrigued. Turning back to the battle, she continued.  
  
"Okay, Totodile, launch into the air!"  
  
Totodile complied, using its powerful legs and tail to launch itself upwards, awaiting further instruction.  
  
"Now give Murkrow a slam attack it wont forget!"  
  
"Toto!"  
  
The crocodile put it's hands at it's side to become as aerodynamic as a crocodile could possibly become, and slammed it's body hard into Murkrow's, sending the bird into the dirt.  
  
Murkrow got up slowly, and took to the air clumsily, obviously shaken up by the blow. Melissa quickly grabbed a Pokèball from her back pocket, and threw it up at the Murkrow at found itself unable to retreat from intuition of battle. It just had to continue fighting Totodile. Just as Murkrow turned to continue helplessly, the ball slammed head on into its head, bringing the Pokèmon inside with the red beam of light.  
  
Silver and J crossed their fingers as the ball wobbled on the ground softly. Totodile and Melissa only stared hopefully, watching every second of movement that came from the contraption. After a few more pushes, the ball eventually let out an elongated beep as it came to a stop, ensuring the capture.  
  
Silver and J cheered her on, congratulating her with her capture. Melissa thanked them and picked up her ball. She had caught one already. Her first capture. Silver grinned. Maybe he would be having some friendly competition on the way to the Johto League. And he would gladly accept it.  
  



	3. Chapter Three: Cherrygrove Park

Chapter Three: Cherrygrove Park  
  
A slight breeze blew through the town of Cherrygrove as the three trainers entered. It had entered the later hours of the day, and the sun was slowly dipping behind the horizon as if a ship sinking into the sky. The dark yellowish orange light of the sun cascaded a glow over the small town that made the scene almost photographic. Melissa looked over towards Silver to view his reaction to the town and was somewhat surprised that Silver had no interest in the town itself. His attention was only on Melissa. An uncomfortable few seconds of eye contact led to Silver interrupting the moment.  
  
"This is a nice town, but I wonder if anything really goes on here that we can benefit from," he started.  
  
Melissa gave a deep sigh, turning away from him to scan the town quickly. She noticed the Pokèmon Center and shop in the distance. A soft, soothing sound wafted through the city from the small waterfront at one side. The town was somewhat quiet except for the sound of sundry people that had not yet returned home from work, she expected.  
  
J stumbled between the two, a dismal look on his face. He looked to Silver slowly, and then back to Melissa.  
  
"We have GOT to eat something!" He whined.  
  
Silver and Melissa sweatdropped. They had been out for some time, however, and really did need to stop somewhere to eat. Silver nodded to him without a word, and started towards the Pokèmon Center. J silently cheered, throwing his arms into the air with relief. Melissa giggled, and straightened her backpack as they walked.  
  
Silver would have been first to the door had J not sped in front of him in anticipation and knocked him into a woman heading for the door to their left. The collided violently, sending them both into the dirt in random painful positions. Before Silver could curse J, the trainer had already disappeared behind the closed door of the Pokèmon Center.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Miss," he told the girl.  
  
The girl stood up slowly, wincing in pain here and there. She brushed off some dirt from her skirt, and straightened herself to reply.  
  
"It's okay, I'm sure it wasn't purposeful," she said back.  
  
Silver smiled at first, and then frowned again.  
  
"That inept bastard, he could have really hurt someone. He needs to really take chill pill," he began disdainfully. "When I see him I'm really going to bitch him out for you."  
  
The girl only giggled softly before replying.  
  
"There is no need for that, I'm fine, really."  
  
Silver looked her over from head to toe, and thought it over a couple more times before actually calming down enough to not do any physical damage to J. He sighed quietly, and turned to enter the Pokèmon Center.   
  
The Pokèmon Center was too rather empty. The seats were empty at the food court, and there were only a couple of people waiting to bring their Pokèmon to full health. Silver was rather bewildered by the whole ordeal. After a while, he turned to the girl.  
  
"Hey, where is everyone?" He asked.  
  
The girl raised a hand over her mouth, her eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Y-you mean... you don't know?" She asked.  
  
Silver and Melissa both shook their heads slowly, waiting for her to continue with the explanation. The girl grabbed both of their hands quickly, and darted out of the Pokèmon Center, dragging them behind. J clumsily followed close behind, sporting a box full of food for them to munch on the "run".   
  
The girl seemed a bit overly excited, but Silver only smirked. The girl finally stopped a few minutes later at a small clearing in some trees near the far edge of town. She pointed into the clearing, turning back to the three new trainers.  
  
"In there," she started, "all of the trainers from Cherrygrove and some passing through go there to battle in the Cherrygrove Park arenas."  
  
Silver, Melissa, and J's eyes began to light up almost automatically. Plenty of experience would be attainable in such a place. Silver balled his first tightly in excitement.  
  
"Alright! Seriously? Okay, I'll be able to get some experience into my Cyndaquil!" he cheered.  
  
J, with a mouthful of food, followed them into the clearing for the arena. Soon after entering, the girl gasped. Quickly turning to the three, she jumped up and down abruptly.  
  
"Oh wow! You are really lucky. Today they are having a tournament. Trainers can enter for 20 dollars for a 2000-dollar prize! Usually they have a special guest," she explained, "Let's see who it is today."  
  
She darted over to a large board under a picnic area in the park. Her eyes scrutinized the board thoroughly before stopping on a name. Her eyes widened when she stopped.  
  
Silver noticed that she was at a loss of words, so he calmly came up behind her, and looked to where she was focused on. He too opened his eyes in disbelief.  
  
"You... mean..." he sputtered.  
  
She nodded dumbly. Professor Oak would be there today, watching the matches. Not only that, but the winner would receive a Pokèdex from the famous Professor. Silver shouted happily various babblings about winning and becoming a Pokèmon master. After a few minutes, he realized that nobody was listening to him, and his friends had already begun filling out their entrance forms.  
  
Silver quickly read over the rules to the tournament, and he was happy to find that only one Pokèmon could be used. And that evolutions were not allowed. He could safely use his new Pokèmon without fear of exceedingly strong trainers overpowering him with evolved forms.  
  
He reached down calmly, gripping his Pokèball in his hand. He rolled the ball around in his fingers, moving the fire symbol over his skin. A breeze blew through his hair as he stood, waiting for Melissa to finish filling out the form.  
  
Melissa... Melissa! Uh-oh. He had forgot. Melissa was using a Totodile. The water type Crocodile would be a huge task for his Cyndaquil to accomplish. He would enter anyway, but wary of his friend.  
  
Silver took a step forwards when Melissa stepped aside with her bracelet stating her number in the tournament. Silver filled out the form quickly, and, rather sloppily to quickly proceed. He was given his bracelet, his name on it accompanied by the number 32. Turning around, he noticed that the line behind him was being dismissed.   
  
*Great, he thought. A 32-person single elimination tournament. Sounds interesting.*  
  
Silver continued to a large electrical board containing the brackets of people. Scanning through the board, he found he was up against the person with bracelet number 1. Looking on his bracelet, he found he needed to go to Arena B to begin.   
  
Upon arrival, he climbed the steps to his platform overlooking the field from 6 feet above. Peering across the field, he spotted his foe. She stood calmly, her purple hair blowing to her side. Her eyes were closed, but her body language suggested that she was awaiting the signal to begin. Silver smiled, as he looked out into the crowd that occupied the stands. He would be able to be known right away. It would help him in the real world, to win such a big event right away.  
  
Just then, a buzzer denoting that the match was about to begin startled him.   
  
"In the Red Corner, from Orange City, a newcomer! Silver!"  
  
The crowd cheered wildly, foghorns and buzzers were fired loudly into the midst of the crowd.  
  
"And in the Blue Corner, from Goldenrod City, Lola!" Yelled the announcer.  
  
The crowds cheering erupted loudly, and died down as quickly as it started.  
  
"Trainers! Begin the match!" the judge announced loudly.  
  
Lola opened her eyes suddenly, peering over at Silver. She lifted one leg gracefully, and launched her Pokèball into the middle of the arena.  
  
"Go! Heracross!" she shouted.  
  
Sure enough, from the beam of light emerged the Pokèmon Heracross. Silver grinned, knowing he had a slight type-advantage.  
  
"Cyndaquil, let's go!"  
  
Cyndaquil landed softly on the ground. It held up a peace sign as it looked over at its large opponent. Heracross growled over at the little fire-type, apparently not intimidated by its type due to its small size.  
  
Silver smiled. A new wave of confidence flowed through his body as he prepared himself for the thrashing that his Cyndaquil would be dealing to Heracross. With a quick motion, he pointed to the Heracross, and issued a command.  
  
"Cyndaquil, don't get too cocky, use your leer attack to scare it into early submission. Maybe then you won't have to roast it too badly," he told Cyndaquil, a smirk settled smugly on his face.  
  
Cyndaquil glared across the field at Heracross, concentrating into his eyes all of the power contained within him psychologically. Heracross sweatdropped.  
  
"Heracross, don't be fooled, jump into the air and prepare your horn toss from above!" yelled Lola. "Heh, death from above... and another win for Lola and Heracross!" she muttered.  
  
Heracross launched into the air, screaming its only possible vocal line, it's own name. Cyndaquil abruptly stopped, peering up into the sky at the beetle hovering above.   
  
"Alright, Heracross, speed at it now! Then use your horn attack to launch it back into the air!"  
  
Silver gasped, her Heracross was very fast for its size. The Heracross quickly sped downwards, horn first, straight for Cyndaquil. It's horn struck Cyndaquil precisely in the gut, and it quickly landed, snapping its head backwards to fling Cyndaquil into the air. But the toss didn't go as expected.  
  
"Cyndaquil, hang onto its horn!"  
  
Silver had an idea. The fire-type gripped onto the horn tightly, and took the momentum of the toss, and maneuvered it into a counter attack. It quickly flung the Heracross back into the air after the Heracross was too off-balanced to keep upright totally. The bug Pokèmon yelped as its own power was used against it, to send it back into the air where it started. Cyndaquil let go, letting itself fall to the ground with ease.  
  
"Cyndaquil, don't take your eyes off it!"  
  
The Pokèmon turned around quickly.  
  
"Now, flamethrower attack!"  
  
The little Pokèmon gathered tremendous amounts of hot energy; it's temperature rising considerably. Then, without warning, a searing blast of fire soared through the air at the bug, setting it ablaze, and grounding it with one swift movement.   
  
Silver and Cyndaquil both raised a peace sign into the air, cheering along with the crowd as the breezed, or should I say burned through their first match.  
  
  
Across the park, Melissa was paired up with J. She chose her Murkrow, noting Totodile's weakness to grass type Pokèmon, and Murkrow's advantage over Grass types. Murkrow floated above, taking advantage of the rising moon to regain it's health repeatedly. It darted down at Chikorita, beak first, glaring... or more like staring at Chikorita intensely, as it advanced. Chikorita used a Razor Leaf attack on the bird, only to be disappointed as Murkrow simply lifted its wings, leading the leaves to fly underneath. Then Murkrow struck head on with Chikorita, sending the grass Pokèmon flying across the field in pain. Chikorita skidded for a few feet, before coming to a quick stop. The leaf element Pokèmon struggled to get up, pain surging through its body in pulses. However, before it got up to its feet, Murkrow attacked again with a rapidly succeeding feint attack, putting Chikorita out of commission. J sighed, calmly walking out to return his Pokèmon to its ball. He continued on, approaching Melissa with a satisfactory smile on his face. Melissa raised a hand to her mouth, worried about his reaction. She was quickly relieved when J only congratulated her for a well fought match, and took her hand to continue on to find Silver.  
  
  
After a couple rounds, Melissa found herself facing Blake in the semi-finals. She, J, and Silver had just returned from Silver's semi-final match against a kid using an Aerodactyl. There was some discussion about whether or not Aerodactyl was considered an evolved form of a Pokèmon, which was quickly dismissed and considered as fair. So after a few frustrating attacks by the considerable fast Aerodactyl, Silver commanded his Cyndaquil to use Rollout, to take out the Prehistoric Flying Pokèmon. Cyndaquil hit head on, and at full speed for the win. Now they sat in awe as Melissa's Totodile took on Blake's Dratini.  
  
A huge blast of air blew at Silver's face, almost sending his hat into the crowd behind him. His hair wavered around under his hat, which he refused to hold down because it would distract him from the intense match he was witnessing. The air was coming from the powerful blast of water that Totodile had fired at Dratini who was taking the hit's head on.   
  
*Baka...* Silver thought. She would lose this match fighting like this. Water attacks did not affect Dragon types in the least. All of the known dragon species of Pokèmon inhabit the oceanic areas. Powerful Waves and Water blasts would not likely harm Dratini much. Blake soon grew tired of the childish style of fighting that Melissa was using. Melissa ordered her Totodile to use a bite attack on Dratini. Then Blake made his move.  
  
"Okay, Dratini. No more games. Use your thunderwave attack!"  
  
The thunderwave hit Totodile head on, paralyzing it from the head down. It fell to the floor and desperately struggled to find the strength necessary to return to its feet. But before it did, Blake commanded Dratini to use a Thunderbolt attack. Melissa gasped loudly as the powerful beam of electricity pounded into and surged through the Crocodile Pokèmon. Melissa soon conceded reluctantly, to seal the victory for Blake. Blake did not stand in his applausive audience. He simply left to the main battle field... Where he would be facing Silver. Again.  
  
  
Silver glared across the large championship field at his final opponent with focused intent. He silently brushed a lock of blonde hair away from his face as he stood awaiting the announcement to begin. The park had now been covered with darkness with exception of the eerie moonlight glowing from above. Looking upwards, he shot a glance at the hovering moon, and back to Blake across the specialized battlefield. It was complete with giant rocks, landfills, and other strange obstacles to make the matches more interesting. The entire town of Cherrygrove and visitors from other towns were gathered in the stands awaiting the start of the match. The odd silence of the crowd accented the strange atmosphere.  
  
After a five-minute stare down between Silver and Blake, the announcer came over the loud speaker. After announcing the two contenders, he presented to the crowd the famous Professor Oak. A few seconds later, the professor took over the microphone.  
  
"Good Evening, Trainers!" He greeted the park.  
  
Instantly, the silence was broken, as the crowd erupted in a deafening cheer. The standing ovation for Professor Oak lasted three whole minutes, which, in turn, intensified the pressure applied on the two contending trainers.  
  
"Today we will witness the epitome of the beginning trainers of today, and perhaps, masters of tomorrow. It takes an intelligent trainer to understand that power is not everything. To understand that winning is not based on brute strength, as much as pure integrity and strategy. And today, we will discover which trainers intend to succeed correctly, by knowing their Pokèmon emotionally as well as in accordance to battle. So now, with those words of wisdom..." the professor announced, a drum roll playing in the background. "Blue Trainer, are you ready?"  
  
Silver Nodded.  
  
"Red Trainer, are you ready?"  
  
Blake Nodded as well.  
  
"Let the final match begin!"  
  
And with that, Blake stepped forward on the platform, his Pokèball in hand.  
  
"Dratini, go!" he commanded.  
  
Silver gasped. How could he forget! Blake had the dragon Pokèmon Dratini. Sure that Blake had increased its strength and experience, he would need to be careful.  
  
"Cyndaquil, let's go!" he shouted.  
  
The Cyndaquil appeared responsively in the red beam of light. With the crowd cheering wildly in the background, Silver struggled to focus. He analyzed Dratini's weaknesses in his mind, recalling the previous battle. He would choose the defensive style of battle first, to enable Cyndaquil to use his speed to get a feel for Dratini's new power.  
  
"Dratini, use your wrap attack on Cyndaquil, and don't miss!" Blake began; his fists were closed together so tightly, that his nails were digging into his palms. But he didn't care. He only wanted to win this battle.  
  
The Dratini quickly darted forwards, a blue glow gathering inside its mouth. It stopped halfway to Cyndaquil abruptly, emitting the blue glow from its mouth like a rope, sending it to Cyndaquil. The rope shot at Cyndaquil's feet with amazing speed. But the little fire Pokèmon was faster.  
  
"Jump, Cyndaquil, don't let that wrap attack hit!" Silver ordered, gritting his teeth.  
  
Cyndaquil complied, launching into the air with its amazingly high speed. Then with a quick responsive instinct, it used a quick attack on Dratini, slamming its head into Dratini's body from the side.  
  
Dratini quickly recovered, getting back up with ease. It shook off the pain from the Quick Attack, and was ready to resume.  
  
"Now, Dratini, thunderwave attack!" Blake commanded.  
  
Silver's eyes widened. He recognized Blake's fighting style. He was using disabling techniques to get the upper hand. And thunderwave was the greatest technique for the job. Trying to think fast, he quickly retaliated.  
  
"Cyndaquil, use your speed to get behind that giant bolder!"  
  
Cyndaquil darted right, moving immensely fast towards the rock. Almost immediately though, the wave of thunder shot at him, following close behind. Blake, realizing what Silver was trying to do, ordered Dratini to increase the power of energy behind the thunderwave considerably. The wave proved to be faster than the fire Pokèmon. It connected with his legs first, then spread to its body parts in its entirety. Cyndaquil fell paralyzed onto the ground, gritting its teeth in pain.  
  
Dratini stopped the attack, having been successful.  
  
"Good work Dratini, now go at him with your slam attack!"  
  
The little dragon Pokèmon slammed its body into the fallen fire Pokèmon. The power of the attack indented Cyndaquil a few inches into the ground hard.  
  
"Cyyyndaaaa!!!" It screamed.  
  
"Cyndaquil! Try to get away!" Silver yelled, worried.  
  
The little Pokèmon tried to get up; its body was still shaken up from the thunderwave technique. Blake smirked. *He's not going anywhere,* he thought to himself.  
  
"Dratini, use your dragon breath attack! At full power! It's time to send this pathetic Cyndaquil to Pokèhell!"   
  
Silver growled. He would not let him get away with this. With a newfound adrenaline, he ordered Cyndaquil once again.  
  
"Cyndaquil, gather up the most powerful flamethrower attack you can to counter it. Just try to move at least your head to aim it at the Dragonbreath!" Silver commanded the fallen fire-type.  
  
Cyndaquil nodded as best it could, and began to gather flames in its mouth, preparing its attack, and building its strength. Sweat gathered on Cyndaquil's forehead. This being its most intense battle, it knew that it would gain a lot from this battle both knowledge-wise, and strength-wise. And it did no want to let Silver down.  
  
Cyndaquil peered up at the dragon Pokèmon who was preparing the powerful attack. Then, suddenly, the dragon aimed it's mouth at the fire-type Pokèmon, leering down at Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil struggled, lifting it's head to aim back. And as if on cue, Blake and Silver both yelled out the attacks it had commanded them to do. Dragonbreath attack was yelled by Blake, and Flamethrower at the same time from that of Silver.  
  
And it happened. The powerful attacks were released, synchronized as if both were planning to hit each other's blasts at the same time. And upon connection, a huge explosion followed. Some people in the crowed screamed, others cowered in fear and scrunched together in the stands. The balls of power and fury exploded in a magnificent display of color and emotional energy. Cyndaquil and Dratini both were screaming out their power, each in their own original way.  
  
"Cyyyndaaaaaaa!!! AAAAA!!!!" it screamed out, loudly, the flame escaping its mouth.  
  
The Dratini struggled to keep up with the strength of the Flamethrower. Each trainer yelled out commands to keep their Pokèmon in the match. Encouraging and shouting, both eager to win.  
  
Yet, the element that decided the match was not power, and not relationship. Just as Professor Oak had said before the match. It was all based on strategy. Professor Oak knew this as he watched along side the owner of the park, Violet Azure.  
  
"Well, Professor, it seems that this match is very close indeed!" Violet commented, turning to the master of Pokèmon studies.  
  
Professor Oak lowered his head, smiling. His eyes closed, and a low toned chuckle escaped him.  
  
"No Violet, the winner of this match has been decided by a decision made earlier in this match. And it is inevitable," Oak replied.  
  
Violet raised an eyebrow. She had not picked up what Oak was talking about. Struggling to recall, Oak noticed her determination.  
  
"Ha ha, Violet, I don't think you will be able to realize this if you haven't already," he explained. "The match was over when Blake ordered Dratini to increase the power of the thunderwave. The Dratini lost a considerable amount of energy then, and it will not have enough to suffice in this power match they are having right now."  
  
Violet looked down at the battlefield at the energy display before her. The Cyndaquil's flamethrower was indeed slowly overpowering the Dragonbreath attack. The flame suddenly increased in energy, it's size overwhelming the Dragonbreath attack. The Dratini collapsed on the ground, ending its attack, and taking the flamethrower in its fainted state. Blake's eyes widened, a loud gasp escaping his lips. Silver raised a peace sign as he jumped over the railing that protected him from falling and out on to the field. He kneeled down by his Pokèmon's side; picking it up slowly into his arms.  
  
"Great job, Cyndaquil. I'm proud of you," he told it.  
  
Blake fell to his knees on his platform, still suffering from shock and disbelief of the proceedings. He ripped his hat off of his head angrily, and threw it down at the ground, groaning.  
  
"What the hell did I do wrong? How can that little fire-type have beaten my Dratini?" He screamed out.  
  
Blake jumped over the railing and onto the field. He darted towards Silver who was returning to his platform, dodging the various obstacles in the field. He quickly jumped in front of the trainer, glaring angrily.  
  
"How the hell is this possible? You have to have been cheating. There is no way that a Cyndaquil's flamethrower could overpower a dragonbreath attack," Blake accused.  
  
Silver only glared back, and looked quickly down at the silver watch. He checked the time. 10:13. He didn't have time for this nonsense. Silver sidestepped Blake quietly, and stepped forwards to continue.  
  
Blake fumed. He grabbed Silver by his arm tightly, gripping it in anger. He flung him backwards, tripping him hard over his leg. Silver winced as he hit the ground hard, grunting. He broke out of the grip with the shake of his arm, and spun right, slamming his leg into Blake's own. Blake fell sideways, but caught his fall with his free hand, and flipped back up. Silver jumped backwards off of the ground quickly, his eyes never left the infuriating gaze of his opponent. Blake thrust his fist at Silver's gut, only to get it grabbed and twisted by Silver's hand, put into an inescapable position. Silver tightened the lock and spoke into Blake's ear.  
  
"If you ever touch me again, I will break your fucking arm. You remember this moment," warned Silver.  
  
Blake pulled away angrily, rubbing his sore arm. Silver walked on by, leaving the field in silence to find his friends. Blake watched him leave, the rage that inhabited him settled slowly, as he turned to collect his Dratini into its Pokèball.   
  
  
As Silver left the field, he was tackled to the ground by an over-ecstatic Melissa, who had come to congratulate her friend. He got up abruptly, lending a hand down to his fallen friend as well. He pulled her up with a grunt, and smiled.  
  
"Thank, Meli-," was all he got out before J dove into Silver as well.  
  
"Great Job man! Woooo! You were great!" The trainer yelled happily.  
  
Once again, Silver got up slowly, this time really dusty. He brushed himself off and restrained himself from smacking J in the back of his thick head. He simply thanked them for their congratulations, and walked over to Professor Oak with them.  
  
Silver received his prize of 2000 dollars. Yet, instead of taking the Pokèdex, seeing as he already had one, he asked if there was anything else he could possibly get.  
  
Professor Oak raised a brow, obviously considering the request. If he could remember correctly, the last people who received Pokèdex were three trainers that were selected by Professor Elm. If this kid was one of them, he definitely had potential.  
  
"Hmm, indeed you do have one already. So I will make you a deal. Instead of the Pokèdex, you can have this," Professor Oak said, handing Silver a small Pokèball with silver plating. Immediately, Silver recognized it.  
  
"A-a master ball!?" He gasped.  
  
He slowly raised his head to the Professor, wondering if he was dreaming, or if this was real. The professor nodded, and patted him on the head.   
  
"You will do well in your journeys. Just never give up, no matter what, and continue you battle with strategy. You surely will succeed if you train wisely."  
  
Silver nodded, as he turned away from the professor. He waved silently, his friend trailing behind. As he walked out of the park in the dim glow of the moonlight, he smiled.  
  
He had Professor Oak's blessings. The last person that received those was Ash Ketchum himself.   
  
Melissa looked up suddenly, turning her gaze to Silver when she heard a sniffle. She watched him try to inconspicuously brush away a tear. She sighed happily. *What a hottie,* she shamefully thought. She giggled very softly. That childish, girly giggle that only occurs when a secret crush is realized. But no one hear her.  
  
And so the trio trudged on into the Cherrygrove City Pokèmon Center. They would rest there for the night until the next day, when they would move on.  
  
  
(Sorry about the mistake I made with the ending not being there at first. -`/ My mistake. Be sure to keep watching. I will try my hardest to put up a new chapter every one to two days. I am planning on making this a veeerrry loooooong epic. Make sure you keep up. I know I will. I hope. x_e; -Legend)  



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